Goodbye Joe Pa!

Last week, legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno died. His funeral, held yesterday, brought a close to a tragic saga that spanned through the fall, into the winter, and will likely continue with trials, litigation, and questions about his legacy.

If we are talking simply about coaching, Paterno is unquestionably a key historical figure and an iconic figure in college football. The time he put into the program at Penn State, the success he enjoyed, and the longevity in the position all put him in rarified air. When we think of the greatest college football coaches of all time — based on his record and merit — Paterno is at or near the top of the discussion.

But life is not that simple, nor should it be. When Paterno was fired in November, amidst the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the foundations of college football, Penn State, and the nation, people questioned what Paterno's legacy would be. Doubtless the stress and sorrow of the situation, coupled with his age and failing health, hastened the tragic end of Paterno's story. But the question remains, what will his legacy be?

For my part, I'm leery to discuss such things, especially in these times, but it has been frustrating to listen to others constantly go over this situation. Particularly frustrating are those that say this last chapter in his coaching career — the one that revealed a criminal lack of compassion and oversight of his program — should be forgotten, and only his success should be remembered.

We cannot edit out the parts of our lives that present us in an unflattering light. Was Joe Paterno a great coach? Yes, of course. Did he demonstrate poor judgement in later years that was criminally negligent? Probably, and you can't ignore the way his run at Penn State ended just because of all that came before it.

The same question always comes up in the steroid conversation in baseball. Not that those two things are the same, but it's a matter of separating on the field play from off the field conduct. Or how about Michael Vick. He was a great player early in his career and has enjoyed a career renaissance the last two years, but when his name is mentioned many still point to his conviction for dog fighting first. And that can never be forgotten, even when we admire the way he has reformed his life. Perhaps the saddest part of the Paterno saga is the fact that he passed so quickly after what had to be the darkest chapter of his life. But, we don't all get happy endings.

When I think of Paterno I will think of a great coach and a charismatic man who impacted a lot of lives over a lengthy tenure at Penn State. But I will also remember that he presided over a program that looked the other way while a subordinate did considerable damage in the lives of young children. To forget that is to marginalize all those little lives and to pave the way for this kind of abuse to repeat itself somewhere else.